Mills & Born Immigration Law: Staff

Staff

Susan Mills (Retired)

Susan Mills has been licensed to practice law in the State of Rhode Island since 1997. She has a Juris Doctor from Northeastern Law School, and an undergraduate degree from Brown University. Before opening her own firm, she worked in the non-profit sector as an accredited representative for seven years, so she has over twenty years of experience in the field of immigration law. She is fully bilingual in Spanish and English, and has extensive personal experience with Latino immigrants in the U.S. and in Latin American countries. She is committed to a law practice which provides excellent quality, bilingual legal representation to clients which also fully respects their own thoughts, experiences, and life needs. From the time she founded the firm as the sole practitioner, the office has now expanded to include five lawyers, three legal assistants, and various support staff. Ms. Mills is also an avid bicyclist, occasionally touring both in the U.S. and abroad, and a small-scale organic farmer.

Stephen Born

Stephen Born received a degree in History, cum laude, at John Hopkins University in 1985, a J.D., cum laude, from Boston University in 1991, and a Bilingual ESL and Linguistics Certificate from American University in 2000. From 2007 to the present, he has served as a lawyer at Mills & Born, specializing in complex immigration, catastrophic personal injury, and discrimination and harassment matters on behalf of employees. Mr. Born previously served as a managing attorney at a private firm in the Boston area, where he was a trial and appellate lawyer in personal injury, employment, immigration and clergy sexual abuse matters. He has been featured twice on the cover of Lawyers Weekly for winning notable cases that changed the law in Massachusetts, including the landmark Sheehan v. Roche Bros. decision by the SJC in 2007. He has served as a bilingual weekly radio host and as a televised expert on immigration matters. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Bangladesh, India, West Africa, Turkey, and Latin America. He plays harmonica in a quartet known as Slow Boat Home.

Stephen was also involved in these cases

http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15203048379009849366&hl=en&as_sdt=2&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr

http://www.silentlambs.org/assistance/massarticle.htm

Amber Lewis

Juan Bravo

Mr. Bravo is a Spanish attorney holding a law degree from the Complutense University of Madrid with high honors and a Juris Doctor Degree graduating Magna Cum Laude from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Mr. Bravo started his career in Spain in the Corporate Department of a law firm where his clients ranged from financial institutions, banks and mergers and acquisitions transactions to civil claims. Mr Bravo experience also includes formal studies in Social Work as he holds a degree in Social Work Studies from the Complutense University of Madrid.

In 2009, Juan relocated to Puerto Rico, obtained his Juris Doctor and passed the Bar Exam. His areas of practice in Puerto Rico included employment and labor law claims, workers' compensation, welfare benefits, collective bargain agreements and arbitration. He is admitted to the practice of law in Puerto Rico as well as in Spain. He specializes in deportation defense, family-based immigration cases, and refugee and asylum law. An immigrant to this country, Mr. Bravo is uniquely positioned to assist other foreign nationals as he has been through the entire immigration process himself.

Mark Morrison

Mark Morrison is the senior legal assistant and office director at Mills and Born in Providence. He joined the organization in 2003. He specializes in immigrant visa applications, waiver applications, religious visa processing, and many other family immigration applications as well as asylum matters. Prior to this position, Mark worked for 10 years with the Diocese of Providence, where he was the Coordinator of the Immigration and Refugee Services program for the Diocese of Providence. There, he was an accredited representative and represented clients before the Immigration Service and the Immigration Court. Prior to that, Mark served as a Catholic missionary for five years in Oaxaca, Mexico with the Maryknoll Lay Mission Program. He is married with three sons and two grandchildren. Mark enjoys running and many other sports, reading, spending time with his family, and various church activities.

Glenda Portillo

As one of the faces of our Everett office, Glenda works hard to make our clients feel welcome and supported. She graduated from high school in 2018 and is currently studying to become a dental hygienist. As an immigrant from El Salvador, she is passionate about helping our clients as much as she can. Glenda loves the colors and smells of fall and keeps the office brightly decorated throughout the seasons.

Taisha Torres

Taisha Torres is a bilingual paralegal at Mills and Born. She graduated magna cum laude from Rhode Island College with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor’s of Science in Substance Abuse and Addiction Studies. Ms. Torres worked as a case manager for Lutheran Social Services and later as a Social Worker for The Department of Children and Families.

During her time as a Case Manager for unaccompanied refugee minors she discovered her interest and passion for the immigration field. As a direct descendant of immigrants from Honduras and the Dominican Republic she felt a great connection to her clients and after some time in social services she decided to dedicate herself fulltime to the immigration field. Ms. Torres enjoys exploring new places, spending time at the beach, and with her family.

Carla Jorge

Carla Jorge, is a bilingual administration assistant with Mills and Born in Providence. Carla was born in Dominican Republic, where she lived and studied until she immigrated with her family to the United States. As a teenager she decided to go back to the Dominican Republic and, later on, to Spain where she was accepted at the University of Barcelona and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Art History. She also has a Master’s Degree in Historical Heritage, and minor degrees in Antique Furniture and Paint Restoration. Carla speaks, Spanish, Catalan and English. Carla brings a unique interest in arts, art history and cultures to her work at our office, and she always adds good cheer to every interaction with clients.

Patricia Rodriguez

Patricia Rodriguez is usually the first to greet you at Mills and Born. She joined the organization in 2012. Previously, she worked for Catholic Migration Offices in Brooklyn, New York, a non-profit organization for 15 years. She is bilingual in Spanish and English. She brings to the organization extensive personal experience with the Latino immigrants in the U.S and in Latin American countries. Patricia enjoys spending time with her family, going for long walks, and traveling.

Olga Silvestre

Olga is a Dominican attorney, born in the Dominican Republic, with over 20 years of experience in the legal field, nearly a decade of which has been devoted to pro-immigrant legal practice. She has developed advocacy skills and knowledge in the immigration field. Olga graduated from Law School at UTESA University, Dominican Republic, in 2002, and she is a Notary Public of the State of Rhode Island. Her legal career as an attorney in the Dominican Republic began at the Attorney General’s Office, where she served in various capacities within departments such as the New Penitentiary Model Department, Special Victim Unit for Gender, Sexual, and Domestic Violence, and the Litigation and Opinion Department. Her fluency in both English and Spanish enhances her ability to serve diverse clients and reflects her passion for the law.

Upon immigrating to the United States, Olga settled in New York and immersed herself in immigration law, serving the immigrant population of New York with its diverse demographic. She specialized in family-based immigration, successfully handling both simple and complex matters in this field, establishing herself as a proficient and compassionate advocate for her clients. Currently, she serves the Providence, Rhode Island community in her current role as a Bilingual Immigration Paralegal at Mills & Born. Olga continues to excel in navigating the intricacies of immigration law, ensuring that each client receives personalized attention and effective representation. Her contributions enhance the firm’s reputation for professionalism, integrity, and client satisfaction.

Renata Tkactzuk

Renata is an accomplished paralegal whose experience runs the gamut of immigration case types. She herself is an immigrant from Brazil, where she studied Law at the University of Law in Maceio, Alagoas. She is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish and is enthusiastic about helping others through her work. When she is not working on client cases, she loves spending time with her three darling cats: Mimi, Sandy, and Miles.